1. Field of Art
The disclosure generally relates to the field of archery and more specifically to a system for storing energy through multiple draw strokes.
2. Background Information
Ever since the bow and arrow first appeared in the late Paleolithic period, man has sought to improve its performance. Relatively speaking, however, operation of the modern bow is similar to that of historic specimens found in Holmegaard, Denmark, dating back over 8,000 years. The historical bow itself evolved into various forms such as the recurve bow, composite bow and other designs as makers sought to improve efficiency, arrow speed, accuracy and other performance characteristics. Historical development of the bow reached its peak in both complexity and power in the form of the crossbow, which was phased out in favor of firearms.
In recent times, however, the bow has made a comeback as a tool for hunters and hobbyists seeking a traditional experience. The 1960's saw a revolution in bow technology with the advent of the compound system for bows and crossbows, or simply “compound bow”. The compound bow increases accuracy and mechanical efficiency over historical designs. Following conception of the compound bow, a number of different designs involving a single draw of the draw string for every shot have been developed and commercialized. Though an improvement over historical designs, the single draw compound bow has its own limits.
Generally, as the energy stored in a bow is equal to the force of the draw multiplied by the distance of the draw, energy output is limited by user capability. For example, draw force is limited by the strength of the user and draw distance is limited by the reach of the user, both of which have upper limits. Some attempts have been made to design a bow that will shoot arrows faster than a standard compound bow, but nearly all involve a power assist.